Despite an area-leading six state championships in football, South Pittsburg has never won back-to-back titles. Not that the Pirates, again the reigning champs in Class 1A, are looking that far ahead.
It is rare air the McCallie football program is currently soaring through.
For all the off-field excitement created by its two in-town region rivals, it is Silverdale Baptist Academy that has the fewest questions heading into this prep football season.
With the start of the prep football season just three weeks away, teams across Tennessee began scrimmaging Friday.
Although preseason workouts and conditioning have been happening for a couple of months, the true countdown to the prep football season's kickoff began Monday when teams across Tennessee were allowed to begin practicing in full pads.
After a summer of conditioning, lifting weights and 7-on-7 tournaments, prep football teams across Tennessee are allowed to begin practicing in full pads on Monday as preparation for the season - now just four weeks away - intensifies.
Carson Gentle saw no need to wait any longer. Although he still has two more seasons left in his high school career, the McCallie School rising junior defensive end went public with his commitment to the University of Tennessee on Saturday.
Unlike last year at this time, when much of the discussion around the University of Tennessee football team at SEC media days focused on the abject failure of the Jeremy Pruitt era - the on-field embarrassment surpassed only by his firing for a slew of recruiting violations - there was a noticeable air of optimism as the Vols took centerstage here Thursday.
It was never Billy Napier's goal to become a college football coach. His goal, like that of his two brothers, was to simply follow in the footsteps of his dad - and hero - the late Bill Napier, who coached high school football in northwest Georgia for more than 30 years.
If ever a short span could detail the severe contrast between the league's haves and have-nots - other than on the field - it came during the transition from Alabama legend Nick Saban's exit to Vanderbilt second-year coach Clark Lea's time at the podium during Tuesday's annual SEC media days.
